Trust
by Kristen3
Summary: When Niles accidentally invades Daphne's privacy, he thinks he's lost any chance of earning her love, as well as the friendship they now have. But things may not be as bad as they seem. One-shot.


**Author's Note: **Many thanks to Anika (BaronessBlixen) for her encouragement and support of this idea! This story snowballed on me quite a bit, but hopefully nobody minds a long one-shot. ;)

Niles knocked on Frasier's door. He had little time between patients today, and he needed to retrieve the book he'd lent his brother last week.

After a moment, Niles began to realize that no one was home. It was odd for Frasier, Daphne _and_ his father to all be gone at the same time. But before Niles could wonder about the circumstances, he caught sight of his watch. He needed to get that book and get back to his office _now_. Feeling a bit like a thief, he pulled out his key. Frasier had given him one as soon as he'd taken his father in. Niles had rarely had occasion to use it. He knew this didn't qualify as an emergency in the strictest sense, but he tried not to think about that. The door opened, and he slipped inside. Luckily, Frasier was a stickler for organization, and he had no trouble locating the volume he sought.

He took it off the table behind the couch. He started to leave, but he inhaled and caught the unmistakable aroma of Daphne's perfume. It overwhelmed his senses, making him realize that she'd been here very recently. Somehow it made him feel closer to her. As he returned to the present, he looked down at the coffee table. To his surprise, it was not quite as neat as the rest of the apartment. The sports section from a few days ago lay on the corner. No doubt it had been placed there by his father. Niles didn't even bother making sense of the headlines. But another object on the table held his attention for far longer.

Without realizing it, Niles sank into the sofa. Before him lay a book, with words written in Daphne's neat handwriting. He recognized it at once, and the rational part of his mind knew he had no business reading her personal diary. But somehow, another part of him could not take his eyes off the page. _The best part of my job here is_...

"Dr. Crane!"

Niles looked up when heard his angel's voice. Immediately, guilt flooded him. Suddenly, he could hear his heart pounding. He wanted to speak, but no words came. Her expression made it clear he she knew what she'd seen.

A moment later, Martin followed after Daphne. He looked in surprise at his younger son. But he sensed a tense situation, and didn't even bother asking for an explanation. He merely glanced downward. "Come on, Eddie." The dog followed his master.

When they were gone, Daphne finally broke the silence. "Well?" She could not even believe this was happening. If she hadn't felt so wide awake, she might have thought this was a nightmare.

"I'm...sorry," Niles whispered. The instant he heard the words come out, he knew how feeble they sounded.

Daphne waited a moment longer, hoping he would say something more. There had to be some explanation. But the silence merely continued. Taking a deep breath, she walked off in the direction of her room.

Niles watched her leave, feeling an ache in his chest. Daphne was the most important person in his life, even more so than Frasier in some ways. And he knew without a doubt he'd hurt her. With a sigh, he turned toward the windows. Frasier's normally beautiful view of the Space Needle was obscured by clouds. Somehow, that seemed appropriate right now. He got up and walked toward the balcony door. When he opened it, he could feel a breeze. Ordinarily, he wouldn't go out there without a jacket on. But right now, he deserved the cold. He'd done the one thing he'd always promised he'd never do: he'd hurt Daphne. And there was nothing he could ever say to change that or make it OK.

For a while, he just stood there, looking over the city. Memories played in his mind. They began in his childhood, the days when he'd tagged along after Frasier. Then adolescence, when his admiration for his brother was often overshadowed by their competitiveness. And the long, lonely marriage to Maris. It didn't amount to much. His life hadn't been spectacular, and now he'd lost what little hope he'd had left. The one thing he'd always wanted was Daphne's love. Now, not only would he never experience that, but his friendship with her was also completely gone. As he stared down at the miniature cars and people below, Niles thought, just for a moment, that he wouldn't even mind if he fell right now.

Daphne realized she couldn't cry anymore. Her hurt and anger were spent, there were no more tears to be had. And although she would've liked to stay in her room the rest of the day, she knew she had a job to do. Perhaps focusing on Mr. Crane and his exercises would clear her mind. So, very slowly, she crept out of the privacy of her room. When she reached the living room, she was grateful to find it empty, though a tiny part of her wished he'd stayed. If only he had something to say for himself, to let her know he understood what he'd done.

But then she saw him. He stood near the edge of the balcony. She couldn't see his face, but his body language spoke volumes. In a split second, she felt whatever anger she'd been holding onto disappear. Hesitantly, she stepped toward the balcony door. She opened it. "Why don't you come in?"

Niles nearly jumped when he heard her voice. "No. I belong out here," he said, barely able to look at her.

Giving no thought to the cold, she stepped out there with him. "You shouldn't freeze to death."

He sighed. "What would it matter if I did? I hurt you. I never wanted to do that."

Daphne knew she couldn't disagree with him. "Me brothers were always reading me diaries. And then they'd have a good laugh over what I had written. Not once did they apologize for it. Thank God for Billy, because he never joined in."

"I am so sorry," Niles said. He wasn't apologizing solely for his own mistake, but for the way she'd been treated by her brothers.

"Thank you." Without thinking about what she was doing, she hugged him. "Most people don't pay much attention to my feelings. Even your brother doesn't realize what he's saying sometimes. But you're different."

Niles never thought this would happen. Daphne had wrapped her arms around him, and suddenly, the wind didn't matter anymore. All he could feel was her cheek next to his, and that wonderful scent. He would give anything to stay here forever. "Of course I care about your feelings. You're a member of this family the same as Dad and Frasier. And you're my friend. I don't have very many, but I am so grateful to have you."

Very reluctantly, Daphne pulled out of the embrace. "I'm very grateful to have you, too. Maybe that's why I got so upset. You're nothing like Simon. I never thought you would do something like this."

Niles hung his head, realizing once again what he'd done to her. "It was a mistake. And even though I didn't read anything, I still hurt you. I can never apologize for that enough. I hope that we can still be friends." Her smile encouraged him. He could still feel her arms around him, and suddenly, he found himself speaking from his heart. "I also hoped that we could be something more one day. But I'll understand if that's not possible. I just want you to know that you _can_ trust me. I would never hurt you." He could not resist the temptation to touch her cheek.

Daphne wasn't sure how she could've gone from being so hurt a few moments ago to the way she was feeling now. But there was no denying the way her heart reacted to both his words and his simple gesture. In the back of her mind, she knew that his words sounded sincere, but they still couldn't change what she'd seen. But that part of her was unable to compete with what she'd heard. Niles Crane was not someone who hurt people for fun. In the time she'd known him, he'd never been anything but sweet and caring. Many times, his compliments and words of concern had turned her bad days around. She was well aware that no one was perfect. Unfortunately, people made mistakes. And sometimes, those mistakes hurt other people. It was a fact of life. And it certainly wasn't worth throwing away a friend, someone she loved even more as she stood before him now.

Soon, her heart could stand it no longer. "I forgive you." The instant she spoke the words, she once again reached out to embrace him. "I know that you're not perfect, but you've been nicer to me than anyone. I didn't realize it until now, but I love you."

For the second time, Niles found himself desperately wishing for time to freeze. He wondered if he could be dreaming this. Daphne's head rested on his shoulder. It was amazing how perfectly they fit together. He made no move to separate himself. Instead, he just held her like that, gently rubbing her back. He knew that she had given him a priceless gift today, offering her forgiveness as well as her love. It was something he could never treat lightly, and he vowed then and there that he would do all he could to show her just how much she meant to him.

**The End**


End file.
